I bumped into a journalistic colleague from let’s, say mainland europe the other day, and he was telling me how he came to britain recently driving on holiday here, and he was appalled by all the speed cameras.
He said he ‘ S got those speed cameras in his country too, except they’re, not called speed cameras. They’re called cash counters. I didn’t, really know what he meant. I thought he was struggling with his english, but he explained himself eloquently enough.
Actually, when he went into a bit more detail, he was explaining. They ‘ Ve got nothing to do with stopping speeding drivers. They ‘ Ve got everything to do with raking in money that’s, why they’re cash counters every time the gun goes off.
Thank you very much ding, another 50 quid or whatever in the kitty for the government or the privatized industries that are putting the cameras up and you won’t find me defending for one minute: a motorist who’s.
Speeding, inappropriately you won’t for one minute, find me complaining. If somebody who’s speeding excessively in the wrong circumstances, you won’t find me offering him an ounce of sympathy, even if he loses his license and his livelihood.
But where you will find me complaining is when i see a motorist who’s, driving down a dual carriageway, maybe a two or three lane dual carriageway and he sees a 50 mile per hour. Sign he’s, got trucks on his bumper.
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He’s, got taxis on his bumper. They’re, almost nudging him along to go faster. He’s, desperately trying to stick within the speed limit and the speed limit is quite simply too low. Whoever decided that should be a 50 mile an hour.
Speed limit got it wrong and what is there so often in those locations there’s, a speed camera there. It’s, not there to enforce a 50 mile an hour, speed limit because it’s, essential that it’s, imperative that people are dear to that 50 mile per hour.
Speed limit it’s there as a cash counter. It’s there to rake in money, and i’m just staggered really that the public put up with it that the motoring associations put up with it. There’s even evidence now that, even if speed cameras work and that they do reduce speed there’s, evidence that uh in america, for example, accidents have gone up, have actually increased after the speed cameras have been installed, and, frankly, i’m, not surprised, because i now see a regular pattern.
I see people driving along at maybe 60 70 mile an hour on a three-lane dual carriageway road because they know that that’s, just about the right and appropriate speed to go on that road and it’s safe.
To do that. Speed on that road – and they know the speed camera is looming and they know that they ‘ Ve got to do 50 through there. Otherwise there’s, a good chance. They’ll, get an endorsement and a fine, so they happily chug along at 60 70.
They see the speed limit, the speed camera they effectively do an emergency. Stop. They break heavily go through the speed camera for a few yards and then pick up on their 60-70 speed again. So it’s, not stopping speeding.
It’s, stopping people speeding over those few feet or few yards where the speed camera can be seen. It doesn’t, stop them before from speeding it. Doesn’t, stop them afterwards.